Chamberlain Reconsidered: A New Look at Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

Hero, scholar, governor, legend—Joshua Chamberlain’s legacy is as contested as the battles he fought.

“In great deeds something abides,” said Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain at the dedication of the 20th Maine’s monument at Gettysburg more than twenty-five years after the battle. He meant the solemn honor and quiet reverence that linger on battlefields long after the guns fall silent, but he knew better than most that controversy also abides: in remarks earlier that same day, Chamberlain dispute...